1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch language, which can be used by deaf, blind and deafblind persons for sensory reception of visual images displayed on a device such as a television and for communicating with others.
2. Prior Art
Deaf persons utilize sign language, which enables them to communicate among themselves and with some auxiliaries also with hearing persons. Sign language however does not solve all perceivable audio situations. They cannot hear thunder, the wind, animal sounds and environmental sounds such as cars, trains, or music. There are partial solutions which enable the perception of some sounds by either providing a description of the sound or enabling perception through another sense, such as seeing light signals associated with an alarm.
Deaf people are able to utilize their sense of sight as a compensating auxiliary for perceived connectivity to their environment. Blind people use the opposite for such connectivity. That is, their sense of hearing, which maintains perception of what happens in their environment. Thus, audio description of sights enables a substitution on some level for their lack of sight. The blind can also augment, to a degree, their lack of sight by partially utilizing the sense of touch as is done when reading Braille, and letting their fingertips perceive the combination of raised dots that comprise appropriate letters and numbers.
Thus, a person with a dysfunctional sense can compensate to a degree by enhanced use of another sense. In the case of blind people, it is the sense of touch. Blind people not only use the sense of touch to read Braille, but also use the sense to feel their way around their environment. The blind can also use a combination of an extended sense of touch combined with the sense of hearing when they use a cane to navigate.
People who are both deaf and blind (deafblind) are in a different category of perception. The lack of two senses, hearing and sight, leaves at their disposal only the senses of touch, smell, and taste. However, utilization of these senses does not enable deafblind to perceive the environment at large and is suitable only for very limited auxiliaries. The invention of the eCane, as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/612,159, filed Jul. 2, 2003, to Liebermann, enables the deafblind to communicate with others and locate desired places or objects. For example, the security emergency vehicle alert companion (SEVAC) described in the application, can enable a deafblind person to feel confident in their home environment so that they know if a break-in occurred in another room in the house, or a vibrating fire alarm with direction can alert them to fire occurring on another floor in a building. There still remains a need however for an auxiliary device which allows a deafblind person to enjoy other amenities in our society such as listening to a radio or enjoying a television show. There also remains a need for an additional tool for translating touch components of dynamically changing and even static scenes displayed on a television or communicate with others in a more efficient way than fingerspelling.